Man indicted in strangulation case

CHILLICOTHE – A Waverly man was indicted by a Ross County grand jury Friday after the victim of a robbery claimed the suspect strangled him with a belt and left him on a dirt road near Scioto Trail.

William E. Kempton, 33, last known address 11448 Ohio 220, Waverly, was indicted on one first-degree felony count of aggravated robbery for an incident that occurred Oct. 17.

The male victim told investigators that Kempton and his girlfriend offered to give him a ride to the Waverly Kroger to pick up his prescription of oxycodone. On the way back, the victim said, Kempton allegedly strangled him from the back seat of the vehicle with a belt before abandoning him near Scioto Trail and taking his cellphone and prescription.

The victim was later picked up by a family member and taken to Adena Regional Medical Center, where he complained of head and neck pain.

In other open indictments handed down Friday:

•Benjamin A. Congrove, 39, last known address 10480 Ohio 180, Laurelville, and his father, Dean A. Congrove, 56, last known address 4230 Hallsville Pike, Kingston, were each indicted on one second-degree felony count of felonious assault in connection with an incident Nov. 30 at the Corner Pub in Adelphi. The victim told deputies that he was sitting at the bar with a beer when Benjamin put him in a headlock and began punching his face. The victim alleged that Dean Congrove then joined Benjamin Congrove and that both kicked him to the ground while kicking his stomach and side before fleeing in a maroon vehicle. The victim was taken to Adena Regional Medical Center for a broken sinus cavity.

•David B. Horn, 45, last known address 338 Williams Drive, was indicted on a first-degree misdemeanor charge alleging aggravated menacing after a woman accused him and another person of knocking on her door Nov. 27 and complaining about a family incident. The victim refused to let them inside and shut the door as Horn allegedly tried to gain entry. Horn never got inside the residence and is accused of threatening the victim’s life before leaving.